If most fans were asked if the term medical drama series is an apt description of Chicago Med, they would agree without a moment of hesitation. That makes a lot of sense since there is no denying that many of the show's best moments can be very dramatic in the best ways possible. On top of that, there is no denying that Chicago Med has very rarely gone for the laughs that other hospital shows like Scrubs and St. Denis Medical embrace.
Torrey DeVitto's fun recent appearance on Celebrity Weakest Link and the fact that Steven Weber starred in the sitcom Wings for years proved the show's cast can make viewers smile and laugh. More importantly, a Chicago Med season 10 storyline proved that the show can be fun. Looking back at how great that episode was and the fact that it was embraced by the show's fans makes me believe that Chicago Med needs to embrace that energy occasionally.
Chicago Med needs to embrace the energy of one of the show's most beloved recent storylines
During Chicago Med season 10, a storyline focused on Dr. Dean Archer getting dosed by a patient with an illicit substance. Of course, it should go without saying that nobody in real life should be dosed like that. However, since Dean is a fictional character, it was perfectly fine for viewers to enjoy the fun energy of what happened next.
Instead of being his usual overly serious and stern self, Dean suddenly became loose and open. Then, Dean's wildly different view on their world wound up saving the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in a delightful way. Since Dean's behavior during that storyline was so entertaining and the way he saved the hospital was perfectly written, that storyline has to be one of the best in Chicago Med's recent history. The show needs to learn from that going forward.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want Chicago Med's characters to be regularly dosed with illicit substances. I also don't want future the show to be suddenly trying to come up with more comedic storylines all the time.
While both of those things played into what made that storyline unique, neither was the thing that made it so great to see. Instead, I want the show to occasionally come up with organic ways to have characters briefly play against type. Seeing Chicago Med characters who typically come across in one way suddenly find themselves forced into altering their behavior was too much fun to only happen once.